THE Bridge Short Stay School is celebrating a continuing trend for improvement in GCSEs.

A pupil referral unit (PRU), the school is based across Cheshire West and Chester and caters for children who have been permanently excluded from mainstream schools.

Despite challenges that the class of 2019 have faced, 85 per cent of Year 11 students achieved GCSE accreditation – up from 63 per cent in 2018 and well above the 58 per cent figure for PRUs nationwide.

In the key subject areas of English and maths, 65 per cent of students achieved a GCSE in both subjects – up from 37.5 per cent last year and compared to a national average of 19 per cent.

Significantly, the school has also worked in recent years to increase the number of students who successfully reintegrate into mainstream schools across the borough.

Headteacher Andy Stewart said: “I’m extremely proud of the successes of the students today, who have worked hard to change their approach to school since their exclusions, this has been made possible by the hard work and commitment of our dedicated staff.

"I’m also delighted to hear stories of students who we have previously worked with going on to achieve some fantastic results on their return to mainstream schools.

"Our students are more than the sum of their GCSE grades however and I’m equally proud of the effort that has gone into supporting students to make changes in their lives to enable them to go on and be positive and productive members of their local community.”

The Bridge Short Stay School was rated 'good' by Ofsted in May 2018.